Post by mothership on Sept 10, 2008 12:27:51 GMT -5
It's time to get Temmie bred. She calved at the end of May, and we were able to discern definite heat signs the last 2 cycles (23 days apart, and the first one 23 days after she spent a day bellowing, but no other signs of heat then), so I think we could have a reasonable chance of catching her heat this next time if we can get an AI tech to come out. However, if she takes on the first AI, that would put her calving well into June of next year. We have very hot summer weather, and I've read some stuff here about how hard heat can be on calves. It's not unusual for our temps to get well over 100 in June. July and August you pretty much have to count on it to be no cooler than 95, often many days in a row over 105. I know it's hard for new babies to regulate their body temp. We do have shade, and of course wouldn't leave a calf stranded out in the sun, but I do worry about having a tiny calf in the worst heat of summer here. A June calf probably would do okay, but we'd have to have a successful breeding on the first try for that, otherwise we're into July or August. We had no heat problems with this year's calf, but it was uncharacteristically cool (drizzling, even) the day she was born, which continued for several days, and it didn't get truly hot until she was several weeks old. We can't count on that happening, though - more prudent to expect 100+ degrees that time of year.
Another factor is that our summer pasture is very poor. The naturalized grasses here start growing when we get rain in the fall (usually November), grow slowly all winter (mild and wet), and really take off in February if we get enough rain. By May, it's mostly all dried up and gone to seed. Our irrigated pasture area is very small, like less than 2,000 sq. ft., and while we've been trying to improve it, our native soil is clay and rocks, so it's slow going. Right now, there's only some very thin clover and a few tufts of grass, Temmie gets only a tiny amount of green from it. In the wet season, more of her diet could be coming from growing grass, rather than just hay. It seems to me it might be better to have a calf and the peak of milking come when there's also green forage for her to eat. We are planning a renovation of the irrigated pasture area this fall, working in a bunch of organic matter, rock removal, aerating, seeding, fertilizing, and hoping for a much better yield next summer, but whether that pans out remains to be seen.
Anyone have an opinion on whether it would be better to wait to breed Temmie for a few months so that she'd have a fall calf next year, instead of a summer calf? I change my mind daily.
Another factor is that our summer pasture is very poor. The naturalized grasses here start growing when we get rain in the fall (usually November), grow slowly all winter (mild and wet), and really take off in February if we get enough rain. By May, it's mostly all dried up and gone to seed. Our irrigated pasture area is very small, like less than 2,000 sq. ft., and while we've been trying to improve it, our native soil is clay and rocks, so it's slow going. Right now, there's only some very thin clover and a few tufts of grass, Temmie gets only a tiny amount of green from it. In the wet season, more of her diet could be coming from growing grass, rather than just hay. It seems to me it might be better to have a calf and the peak of milking come when there's also green forage for her to eat. We are planning a renovation of the irrigated pasture area this fall, working in a bunch of organic matter, rock removal, aerating, seeding, fertilizing, and hoping for a much better yield next summer, but whether that pans out remains to be seen.
Anyone have an opinion on whether it would be better to wait to breed Temmie for a few months so that she'd have a fall calf next year, instead of a summer calf? I change my mind daily.